Ruiz’s Trainer Promises Upset vs. Joshua

Trainer Manny Robles has been working with Andy Ruiz in the time following his first fight for a major world title, and Robles promises the growth he’s seen in Ruiz is causing him to warn of a major upset come June 1.

Ruiz will challenge WBA/IBF/WBO/IBO Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua that night at New York’s Madison Square Garden, an event that will mark Joshua’s U.S. debut. It will be Ruiz’s second time challenging for a world title, with the first coming back in December 2016, when he fought Joseph Parker for the then-vacant WBO championship. Ruiz lost a close majority decision.

Ruiz then did not step foot in a ring until March 2018 to allow himself a recovery and time to work on his skills. It was during that 2017 absence in which he started working with Robles.

“Andy is a fighter with different characteristics, what you see on the outside has nothing to do with what’s inside, he’s a guy with a big heart, a Mexican who likes to fight,” Robles told ESPN Deportes. “I think he’s never seen in the history of boxing a heavyweight with his characteristics. I dare to compare him with those fighters who give everything of themselves and leave everything in the ring, like an Oscar Valdez, an Erik Morales, a Marco Antonio Barrera. I feel that [June 1] will be Andy’s night, we love the challenge and we will arrive with a great fight plan.”

Robles stresses that Ruiz is a fighter with a different outlook since losing his chance to become WBO champion and says that Ruiz not only has the skills, but also a big drive and high motivation to fulfill a dream. It is all this that makes Robles feel Ruiz can defeat Joshua.

“We have to dare to dream, that’s what we came to the United States to do, to triumph, to give our bit to this country and all Mexicans, this goes all over Mexico, that night we will surprise the world,” Robles said. “Andy is a boxer who has not touched the canvas, he had that defeat, which for many people he actually won, but hey, I’ve always been among the people who believe that you learn more from defeat than from victory. He does not want to lose again and he is seeing life differently.

He has never trained as hard as he is now, I see him more motivated than ever. We came from a 10-week camp for [a] fight with Alexander Dimitrenko, a fighter with the same height as Joshua. He followed the training and we are going in with a better preparation.